The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has inspected on-going construction works on the Mishio-Yagaba bridge in the Mamprugu-Moaduri District of the North East Region.
The inspection was part of his five-day working visit to the Northern part of the country.
The 310-meter long bridge is expected to bring massive relief to communities in the area who suffer devastating floods during rainy seasons.
The construction of the bridge, which started last year, is being done alongside a 9.5km road from Mishio to Woyama to make the route completely accessible, especially during rainy seasons.
For decades, communities in and around Mishio, Woyama and Yagaba are completely cut off during rainy seasons, as over five kilometres of the area gets flooded for weeks.
This unfortunate development has earned communities beyond Mishio, which are cut off during heavy rains, the nickname ‘overseas’.
Interestingly, no government, since independence, has attempted to solve the problem, until the Akufo-Addo government responded to the plea of the communities by starting the project last year to end the perennial problem.
During the tour, contractors on site briefed Dr. Bawumia on the state of work and assured that with the sub structure of the bridge done, it is left with the steel component of the bridge, which would be fixed after the rainy season.
Dr. Bawumia expressed delight at the construction of the bridge, as it will bring solution to a major problem the communities have faced for years without any solution since independence.
He added that the project will also bring relief to the communities around and also make a national impact since it will improve agriculture in the area.
“It is a very big bridge that is going to help the people of the area and Ghana as a whole,” Dr. Bawumia said.
The Vice President said, currently, it takes over three and half hours to drive from Walewale to Yagaba, the next town after the flood-prone area, where the bridge is being built, adding that after the bridge and the road are fixed, it would take only 40 minutes to get to Yagaba from Walewale.
Also, the construction of the road, Dr. Bawumia noted, will make it easier and shorter to connect through the road and the bridge for commuters.
On its wider national impact, Dr. Bawumia said the project will significantly boost agriculture in the area, and ultimately have a national impact.
–BY Daniel Bampoe